I've been approached by several other parties: Gaynor

by dburdon

Daniel BurdonDaniel Burdon is APN Australian Regional Media's Canberra bureau reporter, covering federal parliament and politics. He was previously a rural and general news reporter at the Morning Bulletin in Rockhampton and worked in Alice Springs for the Centralian Advocate.

A FORMER Queensland Senate candidate for Katter's Australian Party has resigned from the party and is now in talks with other parties for a potential return to the federal election ticket.

Bernard Gaynor, the former national secretary of the party, resigned just days after cementing his membership following his controversial anti-gay comments on education.

Mr Gaynor said his views had always been in line with the party's ideology, but in recent days, a lack of support from party leader Bob Katter on Mr Gaynor's strict anti-abortion stance had made him reassess his position within the party.

The former Senate candidate's position on homosexuality and abortion were made public in the past week as a furious internal party spat hit the headlines.

He said while he believed the party's overall position had not changed, he could not defend what he saw as Mr Katter's support for abortion, despite Mr Katter making no public comments either way on the issue.

Mr Katter, in the past, has said he did not support abortion and the party itself does not take a position, instead leaving it to individual member's conscience.

Mr Gaynor said he still respected Mr Katter's position on economic issue but did not believe it was in the party's interest for him to stay.

He also revealed that since the weekend he had been approached by several other parties, but would not comment on which particular parties he was in talks with.

The comment came after he congratulated Victorian Senator John Madigan on a speech he gave calling for politicians to have the courage to voice their opposition to abortion.

"On an equally serious matter, there is a small cohort of members and senators who, when they are put to the test, will claim they are pro-life," Senator Madigan said on Wednesday.

"Unfortunately, they rarely introduce adequate legislation and secretly wish it would not raise its ugly head.

"Without a murmur from them on the essential issues of life and death which underpin our whole understanding of human rights, bills pass."

Mr Gaynor thanked Senator Madigan for his "courage and leadership" on the issue, but refused to name the Democratic Labor Party as one of the parties he was approached by.

"My political ambitions are to push the important issues I believe, and where or not that means I may be nominated by a party for a Senate sport is not up to me," Mr Gaynor said.

"I will continue to push my ideas however I can, and I believe we need to stand up to protect life - a seat in the Senate does not change that."